It's been 10 years since two mammoth equine works towering over the Forth & Clyde Canal - the world's largest equine sculptures - were unveiled near Falkirk.
Standing at 100ft tall and weighing more than 300 tonnes each, the magical Kelpies have become iconic on the landscape, capturing the popular imagination and attracting millions of visitors from Scotland, the UK and across the globe.
A decade on, Kelpies sculptor Andy Scott is fully settled into life in sun-kissed Los Angeles, his home for the past two-and-a-half years.
It's a far cry from his studio workshop overlooking the canal in Maryhill - the same canal which once bore witness to the heavy horses pulling boats and cargo along the towpath that served as Scott's inspiration for The Kelpies.
READ MORE: The Kelpies at 10: the blood, sweat and tears it took to create a Scottish icon
Scott, who recently threw his hammer and chisel into the ring to make a long-overdue statue paying tribute to AC/DC in Glasgow's east end - after The Herald announced that plans were afoot to commemorate the city's connection to one of the greatest bands in the history of rock 'n' roll, has just finished the install on a giant statue of a loon at one of the most iconic intersections in Minnesota.
"Civic placemaking in action all the way from Maryhill", Scott quips.
The sculpture of the loon - the state bird of Minnesota - is the latest addition to a portfolio of more than 90 public installations across the world - including in the Netherlands, Spain, Mexico and Australia - Scott has been involved with since graduating with Honours from the Glasgow School of Art (GSA) back in 1987.
Scott told The Herald: "The sculpture was commissioned by the McGuire Family Foundation who are responsible for a major redevelopment of an area of the city of St. Paul Minnesota. The regeneration is centred around Allianz Field, home of the region’s main football team, Minnesota United FC.
"Dr McGuire and his colleague, fellow Scot Gordon Mckinnon, were aware of my folio of prominent public artworks and asked if we’d come up with some concepts for that location. They’d surveyed other artists as part of the process, but after proposing some concepts, they eventually settled on what now sits at the very busy junction of two of the city’s main thoroughfares, University & Snelling Avenues.
"The Loon holds great value in the hearts of Minnesotans, representing the essence of nature and the great outdoors of that beautiful state. They’re not found in Scotland, though I was familiar with their very distinctive whooping call. It was a pleasure for me to learn more about these beautiful birds and a privilege to bring them to the public’s attention through this large-scale landmark."
The sculpture, which stands at 11 metres tall and has a wingspan of around 30 metres, is made of stainless steel and was fabricated by LA-based firm Dyson & Womack. Incidentally, the firm also has Glasgow roots, with its two founding partners, Chris Dyson and Emily Womack, meeting while studying at GSA.
Scott said: "I made small-scale studies, the largest of which was 3.5 metres x 10 metres, and they enlarged the artwork to its final monument scale in their gigantic assembly workshop in east LA.
"Like all large-scale artworks it involved a big team to bring to reality - engineers, landscape architects and in this case even a fleet of twelve 55-ft semi-trailers to haul the sections from LA to St. Paul."
Like they do to the adjacent Forth & Clyde Canal, the majestic, shimmering beasts that are The Kelpies continue to cast positive shadows over Scott, many years after they first began life as a drawing on a kitchen table in Amsterdam.
"We’ve been thrilled by how many people we meet over here who have actually been to The Kelpies - they’ve proven to be a wonderful calling card", Scott said.
He continued: "All is well over here. My wife Hanneke and I have been in LA now for two and-a-half years, after five years in Philadelphia.
"The Californian lifestyle is definitely suiting us, though if anything it is even harder work keeping the studio busy and the projects coming in.
"We’ve set up a great studio space close to home and we’ve been warmly welcomed by the locals in our neighbourhood."
And despite his workshop being located over 5,000 miles from his native Glasgow, Scott revealed that he still works with his colleagues in Maryhill when it comes to installations.
He is also in discussions about two historical-themed pieces: one on the East Coast of Scotland and the other on the West Coast, and hopes soon to be undertaking another piece of public art in his native country.
He added: "Living in the US is best described as 'complicated' and the world of commissioning major artworks is very different to the UK. That said there is an infectious enthusiasm here which was sometimes hard to find in the homeland.
"We are very lucky to still have regular enquiries for new projects in Scotland. The world truly is a global village and new UK clients have not been put off by the distance as long-distance freight is very manageable.
"We manage to get home at least once a year to see family and friends and its always nice to get back to the old town, especially Café Gandolfi and Mother India!"
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